Dear Editor,

In the early morning of February 6, 2010 animal-lover Gloria was sitting by her window having morning coffee looking out on the East Bank Road. To her horror she saw a female dog in a terrible state with a long cement sling tied around its neck; at the other end of the sling was a rice bag full of bricks. The poor abused animal could hardly move.

Gloria called me in a state of panic, telling me what she was seeing. She said the female dog was in terrible state, swaying as she walked, pulling the burden. I told her to go out and help the dog. When I got there, Gloria had caught the dog and untied it from the sack of bricks.

Apart from being in terrible condition, one of the dog’s ears was eaten away; the smell of rotten flesh was unbearable. We gently put her in my dog kennel. Not once did she cry out or show aggression; she just curled up in the kennel, as if to say, “I am finally at peace.” I carried her to the GSPCA and paid the $2000 for her to be put to sleep by injection. Pictures were taken.

People like Gloria are real animal lovers; she has rescued many dogs off the streets and is always on the lookout for animals in distress. Gloria is a woman who always speaks up for what is right.

“Domestic animals have done us no harm and they have no real power of resistance. There is something dreadful in tormenting those who have never harmed us, who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power.” Cardinal John Henry Newman

Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh